Museum director Dr Ian Griffin said in January that African butterflies and moths could eventually be added to the array of tropical butterflies in the museum's Tropical Forest, after a museum trip to Kenya late last year.
Museum staff would start the paperwork to add several African butterfly and moth species to the museum's entry permit - subject to approval by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry for Primary Industries, Dr Griffin said.
The museum already bought tropical butterflies from the Philippines and Costa Rica, but new species could potentially ''add new life'' to the museum's forest and provide an extra ''drawcard for visitors'', he said.
Asked for an update, museum living environments officer Anthony Stumbo said the importation of ''new organisms'' was an extensive process, requiring approval by the EPA to import a species, and the later issuing of any import permit from MPI.
The museum aimed to submit the EPA application by the end of winter, after the species list had been narrowed down to those posing little or no risk to New Zealand's environment.
The later evaluation process could take a few months, as the EPA rightly gave top priority to our environment, Mr Stumbo said.
Most of the work completed at the museum so far had been compiling the life histories of potential African butterflies and moths, and researching any potential environmental impact they could have here if accidentally released.
Given Dunedin's climate, such species were unlikely to survive any escape, but any EPA approval had to take account of other parts of the country, as other butterfly houses might also import the requested species.
The museum had already established contact with ''ethical suppliers'' of African butterflies, and was part of the International Association of Butterfly Exhibitors and Suppliers.
The aim was to protect wild butterflies and their habitats and ensure suppliers were properly paid, Mr Stumbo said.
